Guest post by Carly J. Wingfield from The School of Music, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Introduction
Singers often adjust their vocal production based on the acoustics and visual aspects of a performance venue, which can differ greatly from the typical rehearsal space. This mismatch can lead to changes in technique and increased anxiety due to unfamiliarity. Virtual Reality (VR) offers a promising solution by simulating both the auditory and visual characteristics of performance venues.
This study investigated whether VR can effectively prepare singers for live performances by comparing vocal production and perception across live performance, traditional rehearsal without VR, and VR-assisted rehearsal environments, while also examining the impact of VR training on performance anxiety through pre- and post-recital surveys.
Research Questions
- How did singer vocal production and acoustic perception in the Performance compare to that in the Rehearsal Without VR and the Rehearsal With VR?
- Can VR-Training reduce performance anxiety?
Methods
Nine non-voice major students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were randomly assigned to experimental (VR) or control groups. Both groups spent four weeks preparing a song of their choice for a recital performance in the Smith Memorial Room. The experimental group rehearsed using a VR replication of the venue during three voice lessons, while the control group rehearsed solely in a traditional voice studio. After the performance, the control group rehearsed once more, this time with VR, to gather additional data without affecting the performance experiment.
What we measured:
- Vocal production through the objective factors of vibrato rate, vibrato extent, vibrato jitter, and quality ratio
- Acoustic perception of each venue through an Acoustic Perception Survey
- Performance Anxiety via Pre-Study and Post-Performance surveys.
Vocal Production
- The experimental group showed a wider vibrato extent during the performance than the control group, suggesting that VR training led to a more developed vibrato.
- The experimental group exhibited a significantly higher quality ratio during the Performance compared to the Rehearsal Without VR, suggesting they may have pressed their tone in the dry rehearsal space without VR enhancement.
- The control group showed a significantly higher vibrato jitter during the Performance compared to the Rehearsal With VR, with a trend approaching significance compared to the Rehearsal Without VR. This suggests that the lack of familiarity with the performance venue may have resulted in a less stable vibrato production in the performance compared to rehearsals.
- In contrast, the experimental group exhibited no significant differences in vibrato jitter between the Performance and either rehearsal condition.
Acoustic Perception
- The performance venue was rated as the most acoustically supportive, followed by the VR simulation, while the rehearsal room without VR enhancement received the lowest ratings. These results indicate that while VR can mimic certain acoustic properties of a real venue, it does not fully replicate the supportive qualities of the actual room.
Performance Anxiety
- The experimental group reported a significant reduction in physical sensations of anxiety compared to their expectation while the control group reported no difference between expectation and reality.
- There were no significant differences between groups in worry about the scrutiny of others or the memorization of their lyrics.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that VR-based rehearsal could help singers better prepare for unfamiliar performance venues, improving vocal outcomes and reducing physical anxiety symptoms. VR offers a promising tool for replicating diverse acoustic environments in the practice setting.
The study participants
Authors
Carly J. Wingfielda, Yvonne G. Redmana,b, Charles J. Nudelmanb, and Pasquale Bottalicob,a
a School of Music, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
b Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Funding and Acknowledgements
This work was made possible through the generous support of the Kate Neal Kinley Fellowship. We would also like to thank the singers and pianists who participated in the study, as well as our research assistants Asritha Tunuguntla, Bonnie Martin, and Jasmyne Ruffin for their valuable contributions to data collection and curation.
Special thanks to Carly for writing this guest blog and sharing her great work with us.
Conference paper about the project:
Wingfield, C.J., Redman, Y.G., Nudelman, C.J., & Bottalico, P. (2025). Virtual Reality for Performance Preparation. Proceedings of Forum Acusticum Euronoise 2025.
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